Title: Coffee Strong Black
Harry awoke from a particularly odd dream that he only half remembered, something having to do with many legged, hairy things changing into something like cannons and marching on Hogwarts. The rest of it was fuzzy in detail. He rubbed his sleep bleared eyes and blinked against the light of morning. He saw a flash of red, and grabbed his glasses off the side table. Slipping them on, he saw his best friend, Ron, raising to sit up in the bed across from him yawn hugely.
"Morn'n" Ron mumbled, as he rubbed one sleep filled eye. Harry smiled.
'Still here.' He thought.
Then he heard the oddest sound. Soft..nearly frantic mumbles in an unfamiliar language. Soft whomps at ramdom intervals. He lifted his head and looked for its source. Across the room was the conjured bed that he knew Ed had been in the night before. Upon it were heaped numerous colorful quilts, cocooned about a thrashing body.
Whump!
Harry was sure that was a leg, striking out under those quilts. Harry glanced at Ron. He could tell he was thinking the same thing.
'Nightmare.'
"Blimey, should we wake 'im?" Ron said.
POP!
"Morning!" Fred and George beamed as they apporated between Ron and Harry, both standing on the floor this time.
There came a soft cry, nearly a wail, from that bundle of quilts. Fred and George immediately turned and looked, then exchanged michevious grins.
"No. Don't.." Harry began.
Fred and George ignored him, and walked to stand at the end of Ed's bed. They both carefully grabbed the quilts by the edges...then, as one, gave a hearty pull. Off came all the quilts, revealing a still sleeping Ed, laying on his left side. Tears leaking from the corners of his closed eyes. As he watched, Harry could see Ed twitch both his hands. Then a foot. He noted that Ed was still dressed in the colorful sweater and long pants that were on loan from the Weasleys...
'Ron's old clothes. From first year, come to think of it.' Harry thought.
Fred and George dropped the quilts to the floor. One of them rubbed the back of his head.
Ed twitched his head and mumbled again in his language.
"Like a log, isn't he?" One of them mumbled.
The other looked over to Ron, and mouthed a word. Harry didn't know what it was, until Ron reached behind himself and tossed it over with a frown on his face. Now armed with the fluffy weapon, Fred or George, Harry wasn't sure which, carefully creeped behind the sleeping Ed. He raised the pillow over his head by the corners, and with a wide grin plastered on his face, quickly brought his arms down.
WHOMP!
Before the soft blow landed, Ed's golden eyes snapped open and he was a blur as he rolled on the bed and kicked off wildly, making an effective flying leap away. He landed heavily on his backside, nearly on top of Ron in his bed. As he slid down the side of Ron's bed, Harry saw that Ed's arms were even up in that odd martial arts pose. He blinked bleary, sleep filled eyes at all of them.
Harry raised his eyesbrows. He heard a whistle of appreciation from Ron.
"Vha...?" Ed croaked.
Harry saw then that Ed's brain turned on a few seconds later, as he lowered his arms, and scowled at the pillow holding culprit. Harry believed the effect of the scowl just had to be ruined by the sight of sleep mussed, golden unruly bangs and braid, because the twins only grinned in response.
"Mom says get up, your breakfast is in the kitchen and she need you in the drawing room. There are loads more of doxies than she thought and she's found a nest of dead duffskeins under the sofa. oh...and Mom wants to check your neck before they begin, Ed." George or Fred said.
The twins then walked to the door, unlatched it, and opened it.
"You know..it wouldn't be a SMALL feat...
"..helping us clean out this...
Ed nearly jumped off Ron's bed, but Ron held him back from attacking his brothers, grappling him with his arms by his waist. Harry could see his eyes widen with surprise, as if he couldn't believe he was managing it himself as Ed vigorously struggled against his firm hold.
"VHO'S THE TINY RICE GRAIN YOU CAN'T SEE UNDER SHRIMPY ATOM-SIZED DUST SPECK?!?" Ed roared at the last, panting in his unspent fury.
Harry could only palm his face. He could hear the pictures in the hall coming awake and screaming at all of them already.
Ed stomped down the stairs, still angry at the twins, and he wasn't particularly caring which one had gone and called him "short". His head still pounded, telling him he was far from recovered, but his stomach was grumbling enough for him to try to eat something. He was about half way down when he noticed the things on the wall for the first time. Especially the things along the top of the wall. He slowed his steps, looking up. There were plaques up there, clearly meant to proudly show off their contents. The things looked like heads of creatures he had never seen before.
:::
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